Bears handle hype week well

David HaughCHICAGO TRIBUNE

For more than a minute Friday, Lovie Smith and Tony Dungy lingered in front of the Lombardi Trophy wearing designer suits and proud smiles as cameras clicked to record the NFL history being made. Not only was it the first time two African-American coaches had posed in front of the Super Bowl prize, it was the first time any two opposing coaches had done so before kickoff, according to the league. Welcome to the Gentlemen's Super Bowl, a week in which the only people talking trash have been street sweepers along South Beach.

Whether it's because the team's coaches remain as close as brothers or the Bears and the Colts have bonded over their glee of skipping the Midwestern cold spell, respect has dominated discussion.

The biggest insult came from Rex Grossman, when he labeled the media "ignorant," which likely bumped Grossman's public-approval rating higher than his passer rating.

"This is a different week," Smith said Friday.

Consider that Smith's biggest understatement since, well, Thursday.

Here's a look at how the Bears handled the differences.

Bear who took biggest advantage of national media stage: Thomas Jones. He opened his 6,000-square-foot Miami home to reporters who hadn't heard the tale of Big Stone Gap, Va., and talked about meeting Hollywood directors in the off-season. He even mugged for the camera in front of his orange Ferrari. In case those New York trade rumors are true, do they make that in Jets green or Giants blue?

Bear whose mouth required closest monitoring: Lance Briggs. With his contract expiring Sunday night, each day one of the hottest potential free agents filled the notebooks of reporters from every NFL city who wondered if Briggs might fit in with the Giants, the Patriots, the Bengals, etc.

Bear who had more company than anybody in Chicago expected: Safety Nick Turnbull. The local Florida International University product, the only FIU alum in the NFL, got mileage telling the story of how he signed with the Bears on Dec. 12 after the Falcons waived him but didn't know which team had claimed him for hours because the Falcons' computers were down.

Bear who enjoyed being in Florida most: Brian Urlacher. The avid outdoorsman took cover from questions about the Cover-2 by escaping for a few hours early in the week to fly to a Florida fishing hole.

Bear who spoke most from the heart: Cedric Benson. The introspective running back grew philosophical reflecting on his choice of football over baseball and honestly assessed the occasionally awkward relationship with Jones and his teammates.

Bear who showed the best sense of humor over a bad joke: Adewale Ogunleye, whose royal bloodlines have been well-documented, laughed off a question about whether he has been paid royalties by Eddie Murphy for the movie "Coming to America."

Bear who most embraced his responsibility as role model: Roberto Garza. As one of 19 Hispanic players in the NFL this season, Garza welcomed one Hispanic reporter after another all week to discuss the importance of the platform he commanded.

Bear who kept lowest profile: Tommie Harris. This was where Harris vowed the Bears would be after their first win, but the team's most vibrant character has stayed in the background since his season-ending hamstring injury Dec. 3, though he's a big reason the Bears are here.

Bear who showed most emotion: Mike Brown. How mixed were the emotions of Brown, who'll miss the game with an injury? One look at him fighting back tears on media day answered that.

Bear who smelled the most roses: Olin Kreutz. His guard finally down, temporarily, after a few typically spirited exchanges with some members of the media earlier in the week, Kreutz openly displayed much of the charisma that makes him a valued teammate.

Bear who spoke the most words Super Bowl week but will be remembered by just one: Grossman. Labeling some of the media "ignorant," even if he had a valid point and felt understandably vexed, was as unfair as the generalizations many have made about his inconsistent first season as an NFL starter.

Bear who missed opportunity to rehabilitate his image: Tank Johnson. Introducing race into the discussion, as Johnson did, left the impression that Johnson remarkably still doesn't grasp the danger he put his children in by keeping loaded weapons within their reach and the responsibility he must continue to bear for creating his own problems.

Bear who blogged the most from Miami: Brendon Ayanbadejo. In daily blogs for the team's Web site, Ayanbadejo entertained with nuggets such as having to use free time to shop for floor tile for the house he's building in Miami while his teammates were out on the town.

Bear who used art-deco colors best in the wardrobe: Lovie Smith. Looking at his choice of spiffy clothing this week, apparently orange is in. Get those carrot-colored Easter ties now.